A San Francisco Classic: Cliff House

In an effort to dine at all 3000 San Francisco restaurants(850 and counting), my wife Linda and I recently had the pleasure of dining at Sutro’s at the famous Cliff House.

The rich Cliff House history goes back to 1858 when it first opened. With stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and Ocean Beach, it is a favorite destination for locals and tourists. It is no wonder that City Guide named it “best view restaurant in the city.”

There is a casual Bistro restaurant that does not require reservations and a more elegant one called Sutro that requires a reservation. 

Sutro’s 2 story windows allows memorable vistas, sunrises and sunsets over the deep blue Pacific to be eternally deposited in your memory bank.  In 1896 former mayor and wealthy businessman Adolph Sutro opened the Sutro baths on this property. The Sutro Bath was the largest indoor public swimming pool in the world.  It was open to the public and remained open until 1966 when a fire destroyed the facility.

We enjoyed a window table at Sutro that immediately removed any stress one may be feeling from the rigors of modern life.  Our server was very helpful and radiated with joy feeling fortunate to work at this famous restaurant. There is an exceptional wine and beverage list and extensive variety of foodie delights.  We always bring our own wine and the corkage fee  is $25.00.

We began our dinner with the Ahi Tuna Tartare with pine nut, Asian pear, mint, quail egg yolk, habanero infused sesame oil, and Aleppo pepper that was as soothing as watching the waves crashing on Ocean Beach outside our window view table.  For the main course, Linda ordered the bacon crusted Scottish Salmon with pink lady apple, full belly farm rainbow chard, potato purée and whole grain mustard sauce that was presented perfectly and tasted even better.  I ordered the Sakura Pork Chop“Crepinette” with pistachio parsley crust, grilled broccolini, guanciale cauliflower purée and toasted cumin pork jus that was sensational.  For dessert, we shared the Carmel Apple Cheesecake with roasted apple compote, apple chip and salted carmel sauce that was a regal ending  to a great meal.

At the end of the day, the iconic, classic Cliff House perched high above the “great city by the bay” is a “must do” for lucky people that live nearby and for tourists visiting from all over the world.

For more informative n and to make a reservation go to:

 https://cliffhouse.com/

Larkmead: One Of The 4 Original Napa Valley Titans

In an effort to to visit all 600 Napa wineries(350 and counting),  my wife Linda and I recently visited Larkmead Winery in Calistoga. Our wine staff Ron and Josiane Hable also joined the fun. From our Danville home, it is a 1 hour drive.

Established in 1895, this is one of the oldest family run wineries in Napa. Proprietors  Cam and   Kate Solari Baker continue to preserve the rich history.

Before prohibition this 150 acres of beauty was considered one of the 4 titans in Napa Valley along with BV, Inglenook and Beringer.  One of the original owners was Lillie Hitchcock Coit. Lillie was a free spirit who loved the firemen that rescued her in a few devastating fires.  When she passed away, she left a fortune to the city of San Francisco to build the famous  Coit Tower replicating a fire hose and proudly overlooking the “great city by the bay.”

Our host today was John Hamill who is a worldly person with a zest for life and love of wine. He explained to us the elaborate “no press” wine process that won winemaker Dan Petrowski  2017 San Francisco Chronicle Winemaker of the year.
In addition to sharing the winery’s rich history and wine process, he told us the name Larkmead came from many meadow larks that were originally on the property. Simply the meadow lark bird name was reversed and the name Larkmead was born.

We enjoyed tasting 4 of Dan’s great wines in the elegant Howard Backen designed tasting room with a warm fire burning overlooking the vineyard graced by the yellow mustard in full bloom.

We began with the 2015 100% Cabernet Sauvignon Proprietary  Red that was bursting with flavor and smooth finish. It was a very enjoyable blend that warranted taking home a bottle  with us.
The next carefully crafted gem was a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon that was 93% Cabernet and 7% Petite Verdot. It was also a refined blend of excellence.  Next, we tasted 2014 Dr. Olmo and 2014 Solari.  We enjoyed these 100% Cabernets in a side by side tasting. There are 7 types of soils on this rich land and these were from the “A Block” which is the vortex of this heavenly property.  Both were described by John as having “angels in your mouth” but after careful consideration, we decided to take a bottle of the Dr. Olmo home with us.

We look forward to returning soon for their spring and fall party as we also joined their wine club.

For lunch, we enjoyed another great meal at “Reliable” Rutherford  Grill in  nearby Napa.  All of their food is fantastic and the first bottle of wine has no corking fee. There are no reservations and usually a short wait to be seated in this popular Napa bistro.

As you enter this high energy restaurant filled with happy people, the sweet smell of their famous barbecue ribs radiates from their open kitchen. It brings an immediate smile to your face in anticipation of a great foodie experience.  We highly recommend the hot steaming corn bread served in a cast iron pan to start your meal. It is a perfect way to compliment a fun day of wine tasting.

For more information and to make reservations to visit Larkmead go to:
https://www.larkmead.com/